In the Vatican Museum, Helena Visconte and her young son discover the dead body of a Jesuit priest who is the victim of ligature strangulation and mutilation. Her husband, Michael, a member of the "Specialists" police unit, is asked by the Jesuits to find the killer.
In the course of his investigation, Michael discovers more than he wants to know about the Vatican and its financial connections, but most importantly he learns the victim was a very successful hedge fund manager for the Vatican.
The problem for Michael and the reader is: who can be trusted? As a reader, I continually suspected the wrong character(s).
Perhaps the real interest of this book is that, although it is fiction, having seen so many Vatican financial debacles, one is tempted to confuse fact and fiction. In addition the reader is left to wonder about the author's portrayal of the Jesuit community and the closed society that is the Vatican. Interesting, but peculiar.
Janet Tavakoli, who is a renowned financial expert, has created two characters, Michael and his wife, whom readers will want to encounter in a sequel. Looking forward to more Vatican shenanigans.
“There is an old saying: In America everything is allowed, except that which is forbidden. In Germany everything is forbidden, except that which is allowed. In Italy everything is allowed, especially that which is forbidden. But in the Vatican, everything is forbidden, even that which is allowed.” (A quote of one of the Jesuit characters.)
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